Category: Sexuality

Trannys of the world realise that Transsexuals represent a real threat to your identity. I know it’s an eye catcher but people are getting us so mixed up, but in reality we are worlds apart. This applies even more so in recent months because there has been an explosions of Transgendered stories in the media. The acceptance of the TS had now moved over the Tipping Point. They are now a hot topic, which I am sorry to say we will never be! People such as Caitlin Jenner, Laverne Cox and Kelly Maloney have all hit the headlines and their bank accounts by coming out and exposing their lives to the assembled media. As a result they can get their story across that says ‘I was born a man but have always wanted to be a woman’. This is an easy concept to grasp and explain, however our Tranny narrative is much much more complicated and difficult to get communicate.

How do we explain to people who have never experienced the feelings we get when we are completely transformed for the first time. How can you say to someone it juts feels/felt so right. Its innate to me. I am in a frame of mind that allows a hidden side (my so-called feminine or femme side) to emerge and I feel so calm, relaxed and yes, sexy when in this vogue.

Susie my partner who runs the Chateau Femme dressing service likens it to the times when as a teenager she felt such a transformation of herself when she put on adult clothes, make-up and heels. In effect she was no longer a child. She says she felt so different and sexy. This was part of her becoming a woman. It felt so right to the ‘new woman’. I can identify with some of that but you have to add the layers of sexuality and the complete release from the restricting bonds of maledom for a short period of time are also part of that high.

I have alluded in my previous blogs about sexuality and what it means. In this case it does not mean that you are dressing for erotic purposes, though many do get turned on (this is called Transvestic Fetishism), nor is it about your sexual orientation. What I mean by sexuality is the capacity for you to move down a female route that can blur the male and female sides of our personality. Yes of course we can have sex in girl form but that does not necessarily relate to our inherent gender which to Transvestites tends to be Male Plus (or should that be Male Minus) and this does change your sexual perspective.

However to say the words ‘sexual perspective’ immediately implies a Tranny has changed their sexual orientation and this is where the understanding of the Tranny goes soooo wrong! Yes I would agree that we become more playful and that our attitude to both sexes is not black and white but inside us is a fun-loving person that somehow, through a different look, is allowed us to approach life in general with a much more open attitude. It is as if somebody took the shackles of the ordinary day folk off us and allowed us to examine and experiment with the whole gamut of experience. We like the blurred lines between male and female but only for a short time.

Because we in effect are ‘Gender Queer’ and fairly fluid (almost schizophrenic) in our persona it is very difficult for us to be understood or accepted. Society likes to put people into boxes Male and Female. In particular TS’s even tend to look at TV’s as a lesser being than they are. You are not a real woman like me! The problem is their issues are with gender but yours relate to a temporary change of mindset and the two are rarely good bedfellows! We queer the pitch for TS’s in what they see as their struggle for acceptance. They feel, with their recent acceptance, that we are now hanging on their coat tails, when in effect there are so many more TV’s than TS’s and they were quite happy to join with us before they gained their own identity. I don’t think we really seek acceptance in the way they do, we are looking for appreciation of how we look, because tomorrow we will be Bob again. Our dressing actually gives us a much stronger personal identity than that grey-haired man in the corner of the pub with the half of lager. We get noticed and we enjoy the acknowledgement and ultimately the fun of pushing this barrier!

Oops just re-read all that and realised its sounding like a psychology degree thesis. What I am trying to say is that it’s not really clear why we dress and where the motivation comes from. Almost every Tranny I know has different reasons for doing and a different route they arrived at dressing. But the one thing most of us have is that from time to time it is an incredibly strong motivating factor in our lives and we are constantly seeking a new experience

As you know I have been a member of several TV groups as well as seeing the many TVs that come through Chateau Femme. The vast majority of girls come here because they have an innate want to dress as it releases another side to their persona. Dressing gives them a new lease on life, a different perspective that allows them to be someone different for a short, fun period of time. They love that change of mindset that allows them to look at life from a different sexual perspective. They can relax more, they feel more in tune with themselves by casting off the expectations of society on what a man has to be. Because they are being nonconformist in their nature they do not have to adopt society’s social moires, instead they can be themselves. For some like me they like both the boy and the femme side and endeavour to keep them quite distinct. For others they start to take on more and more of the femme side into the male world and create a type of androgen that allows them have a certain harmony between the two sides.

I am also convinced this desire gets stronger as we age and our testosterone levels decline so a different balance of male and female hormones exist in our bodies. I also maintain as we get older the work/life balance changes, the kids fly the coop, we become more objective about life and don’t worry so much about society thinks. We realise we have been depriving ourselves of something and want to try a new route. So we take stock and realise this is something we have put off that we need to try. For many this embarks them on a roller-coaster ride that is full of fun, anxiety and intense personal analysis. At the end of all this turmoil we tend to come out and say ‘THIS IS ME’ like it or not. To some this acceptance takes many years to others the first time they dress it says everything. From there some do go down the TS route realising that is another layer for them or that purely they just feel better living as a woman instead of the high social pressure of conformity to the male world. For others its just a great bit of fun. TS’s are in turmoil we are party animals.

The TV is a player, a fun lover who just enjoys the pastime of being the girl. In its early stages you can see that teenager who likes to experiment with aspects of their sexuality. It can push you down routes that you may initially see as fun but ultimately realise are not you. There are a lot of dead ends in this voyage of self-discovery.. A TS tends to know where her ultimately goal is. The TV is constantly striving to find out why they are like they are, constantly asking questions, trying new things and exploring infinite possibilities thrown up by the femme side. For the TS it’s a real-time change they desperately want to be. For the TV its a real buzz to explore new horizons and new experiences, to boldly go….! (By the way that is the most famous split infinitive) It’s a war of two very, very different types of people who appear on the surface to be similar but deep down are worlds apart.

The worst thing for a TV is that so many TS’s start as a TV or with a TV group only to disown the ‘girls’ she met as friends because she feels that now they are not genuinely like her and are not part of ‘normal society’ I have seen it on too many occasions and it hurts that people we befriended helped and trusted now kick us in the teeth. We TV’s hate this and feel let down as we helped someone down their path but are now rejected for being freaks or disingenuous. So girls stand up for the TV and make sure you say I am a Transvestite not Transgendered! But our time will never come…hurrah!

How do you tell your partner you are a Tranny? It is so hard to explain what you are feeling and why you are as you are. The first step is to start communication between you. So this is a letter to the partners of Trannys not for you girls. Hopefully it is something you might pass on to your partner or adapt as you see fit for them to read, but only if you agree with it as its only my perspective and something I wish I had had the courage to write many years ago!

Dearest Darling,

I wanted to start this letter with the words I am sorry for being a Transvestite. But that is wrong, it’s not true. What I am sorry for is hiding it from you. For keeping such an intimate and personal thing from you for so long. For the hurt and loss of trust my revealing a deeply felt desire within me has now literally been dumped in your lap. I desperately hope you won’t be appalled by shock of this revelation and would ask you to read this before passing your initial judgement on me and my activities. I just ask you to approach things with an open mind.

Let it be said first and foremost that I love you dearly and I hope we can get through this awkward time and come out stronger than before with a better understanding of each other, and hopefully a new fun layer to our relationship. I appreciate it has come as a total bombshell and hope it wont result in a knee-jerk reaction without us having time to talk about it.

I have not suddenly changed overnight but for a variety of reasons have hidden this from you with the misguided thought that it would help both our relationship and our life. I now know this was wrong but it seemed the easiest way. This side of me has been something I have been simultaneously embarrassed to tell you about and something that gives me immense pleasure. It is something that is innate within me and I don’t believe it will go away. So it is something I feel we must address. I have tried over many years to stop this drive within me with varying degrees of success, but realise this only creates internal stress and I now have come to accept that it is a part of me that cannot be suppressed.

Let me first and foremost say I am not gay and dress to attract members of the male sex. But I also recognise that I am also not 100% heterosexual either. I see these two titles as either end of a continuum and believe that people are rarely at either extreme we are all somewhere along the route. I also believe that there is a gender spectrum and people like me are fairly fluid between the male and female ends. I do not want to become a woman but I do enjoy dressing and acting the part as it addresses a side of my personality that is unfulfilled in male mode.

My personality does change when dressed but not dramatically. I hope I retain all the things you like about me but within a much more calmer,softer, relaxed person. I would like you to see my other side if and when you are ready. But you have to decide if and when. I am not pretending it will be easy seeing your partner dressed up in a dress, heels, wig and make-up but I have been doing it for several years and its time for us to discuss the possibilities of this persona being introduced into our lives in some form or other. It’s not a separate person just another aspect of my make up that comes out from time to time. I have hidden it because I know that society does not openly accept people like me, but at the end of the day I know when I am dressed I am a nicer person. I feel freer and feel less restricted by society’s expectations of me.I feel more complete for having dressed for a short time, not all the time!

I am not a crossdresser as these people tend to be fixated on a particular item of clothing, that’s more a fetish like rubber or leather. Nor am I a Transgender person because I do not feel I was born a woman in a man’s body, just somebody who feels through dressing they can express an aspect of themselves that is normally hidden. I get a very strong natural high from my changeover as it seems to release something inside me or allow an aspect of me that is not normally on show. I dress because I like the headspace that the girl side occupies and get a thrill from switching. I don’t want to dress as a woman all the time more something I can do occasionally, hopefully with you.

I believe society puts us into strict boxes and this is not right as we both have a male and female side (X and Y chromosomes) to a greater or lesser extent. The problem is that we become stereotyped and then have to conform to those norms. The result is unhappy people unable to express themselves as they see fit. We are called an aberration by some as everyone tries top be ‘normal’. This is particularly relevant in men. Women can wear trousers men can’t wear skirts. Why? What is so bad with us dressing up as well?

Why this has come about is very complicated and I am sure I do not fully understand myself but it is a very strong drive within me. I hope we can discuss this as both rational and emotional beings and find a solution to a way forward. There is absolutely no way I want to end our beautiful relationship but I do know the girl has to come out from time to time, hopefully with your acceptance and approval, and we have to address the issues this raises. I am no oil painting when dressed but the nner feeling I have is of utter contentmentI so hope we can find a way forward as there is nobody else I would rather share this with than you.

I do realise this could be embarrassing for you particularly with friends and family. You will naturally worry what they will say if this ever comes out but please be assured I will never embarrass you with anyone to which you are connected. I also realise that this will leave you in an emotional void where you feel you have nobody with whom to talk to in order to understand why I am as I am and what you should do. I can help you with many people who have gone through this traumatic time but hopefully the starting point is us.

You may feel that you are somehow losing the person you love or you may wonder who is this stranger because this side of me has been hidden from you for so long. But inwardly I am still the same partner who has been by your side all these years. I have hidden this because I love you. But I realise that at sometime I will, most likely, be discovered or caught out so I have to open both you and I up to the pain of re-connecting in a new way.

You will feel you have been misled and lied to for many years and you may fear for our lives together. You may think that you have heard this happen to others but are surprised when it comes down top yo. You will probably feel isolated as you have nobody but me to talk to about it, You may feel you did something wrong. You did not. This is all of my making and I fully respect if you may be shocked by this type of behaviour and want nothing to do with it. But please give us both a fighting chance.

I hope we can focus on what we love about each other how we can have good times together regardless. and the realisation that this is an occasional thing that might just be a bit of fun. Then I do hope we have the basis for a new and long-lasting relationship. My passions, my loyalty, my humour my intellect, my love for you and the kids will not change, it will just be accompanied by a pair of 4 inch high heels, occasionally!

I appreciate things are not going to be the same but I hope we can change things for the better and achieve a greater understanding and can bring us closer together. It’s also a chance for you to look at what you want from our relationships given these revelations. I will make every endeavour to accommodate what you want. Try me and my new self you may be surprised how calmer and more relaxed I am in my ‘femme’ side. Please give it a chance for all we hold dear.

OK we Trannies like to dress and enjoy the whole aspect of transforming ourselves into our alter ego. Well I do and that is the whole purpose of these blogs! But the main question we constantly ask is what drives us to be like this and why do I consistently need to come back to this? Why can I go some time without dressing and then something sets it off and the girl emerges?

From my initial experiences of dressing I know it was very much a bit of sexual fun. In the early years I got very excited by the whole turn-on of dressing and enjoyed the immense physical thrill of it all in mind and body! This was a rare activity in a busy life and my reasons for doing this were mixed. But as the years progressed I now realise it has become a much deeper experience and an essential part of me. The thrill and excitement of the whole process of getting ‘made-up’ has now been replaced by a need to achieve that calmness that I now get from being dressed. But what was driving this? Why at times do I have this internal desire to get out as Tara that is way beyond the initial heady rush of being dressed?

Having been loosely involved with my girlfriend Susie’s dressing service Chateau Femme I have been exposed to others like myself who have moved down the path from realising this is something they like to do to the reality that it is innate within them. I have as a result found several reasons why this might occur. I am sure there are others but this is how I see the majority of us being driven into this world of the ‘third sex’.

Firstly for some there’s still that strong sexual nature to the whole aspect of dressing. It is an intensely erotic feeling when one dresses. You seem to be fulfilling an internal desire and the whole process of changing from the male to female persona is an incredibly sensual ride. I can still remember the first time I put stockings on bear legs!!! Part of this is the whole change of mindset and just physically letting go. I have alluded to it in previous posts about switching off and de-stressing. Some do it very quickly, for others it takes a couple of days for that change of mindset. For some it’s the wig for others its shoes we all have different drives but there is no doubt when dressed we find ourselves in a altered state of heightened excitement which as the years progress becomes much more internalised than that thing in your pants! For some of us however this desire of being physically turned-on never goes away. This is the core reason why many dress and this can lead to an altered state of sexuality that we would never have in boy mode. This allows us to fulfil fantasies that we would otherwise leave in our minds, it somehow gives us permission to experiment behind the mask of the girl. For a lot of us this is where we stop and allow ourselves just to enjoy this for what it is.
Sexy Fun.

The second area is what I call the reflected person. This relates to either something we may have experienced with a female family member as a child or an attitude to a girlfriend or lover. Some Trannies can look far back into their childhood and identify some act that has forever been etched on their mind and has driven this fantasy into reality. Their mother’s stockings, a secretary’s skirt, a red lipstick, a wedding dress. These become the springboard for their next steps in Transvestism. This is bordering on compulsion and it does become the key driver in your dressing activities.

Many of us like to adopt a look that we would ideally like our girlfriend or lover to look like, but for reasons, mainly how society judges them, they would never be out in that attire or that look!. ‘That is far too short a skirt a woman of my age can wear in today’s society!’ We as Trannys can get away with it because we are a bit of an aberration and do not conform to society’s norms. But we are missing that element in our lives and this helps us to cope with it not being around the house. This then gives us an excuse to indulge as we see fit and not as others expect us to do. So many people will say about other women ‘My God she looks like a Tranny’ because of the way she is dressed. Of course so many Trannies do dress in a very provocative and highly tarty manner. In most cases this their choice of the style they would like to portray and not a wardrobe malfunction. They do not seek to ‘pass’ they seek to show off the things they enjoy seeing on others. Many will see themselves as having great legs or they just like legs so will wear a short skirt. Others its a bosom fetish so the chest grows exponentially. For some its a blonde for others its a pair of heels and so on. The way they dress is a genuine expression of how they want to look when they see themselves in the mirror.

A third viewpoint is the whole aspect of fetishistic dressing that drives the way they are doing something that is not really acceptable. The fact that it is a bit naughty, a little vulgar and racy creates a certain frisson that is both exciting and liberating. By indulging we release an inner fun-seeker that sees this as a part of their playful self. I know that I should not be wearing a dress, far less a short dress out in public but, oh it’s such fun to be the centre of scrutiny! To be doing things that are risqué and provocative The fetishistic side can also manifest itself in the attraction to particular types of clothes, materials or aspects of dressing but this is more for a cross-dresser than a Tranny. A Tranny enjoys the complete transformation and the whole change of personality that goes with it. They then want to get out and show off either in public or at targeted clubs. I like to think that with a little confidence and belief most Trannies would like to get out if they could as its part of gaining recognition and acknowledgement for who/what they are! The whole dressing builds their own internal esteem by letting the inner slut out!

For some dressing is about identity. The fact that in male form they attract little or no interest but by being ‘different’ they somehow find a place and recognition from those around them that they would otherwise not gain. No longer that grey normal man in the corner who is not really interesting now a point of interest that people want to talk to. It gives them purpose and the social status that they crave. I know if I was dressed as a male I would be sitting on my own at a bar for most of the evening having to make conversation as there are so many people like me. But dressed as Tara I represent something different and others never fail to talk to me even if I am at the same bar on my own! I may be seen as an oddball but it’s far worse to be invisible if there is that gregarious person inside me that wants to get out! Its not necessarily about showing off just being different both for ourselves and for others that with a little change of mindset for others makes us part of life’s rich tapestry. Yes there are some that are offended but far better to have that and be noticed!

Showing off may be one thing but I do see a very large number who use dressing as an element of escapism from their day-to-day issues. Many are unhappy with their lot, others are just very stressed, some spend their whole day making decisions and want to get away from it, some like me love the way in which I can stop the world for a little while and live totally in the moment. A switch off mechanism or should that be some form of alternative meditation?

Dressing to this group is a route to get away from it all. For a period of time it takes away all the anxiety of tomorrow by allowing them to live in the present. In male mode we are trying to sort out problems, we are planning our future, thinking of what we have to do to protect our loved ones, how we can make ends meet etc. When we are dressed we can purely focus on the moment and escape into a mindfulness that allows us to enjoy the present.

The female side also allows them to give way to their inner self which in the day is hidden, They are allowed to let those feelings come out when dressed. They can get away from the ‘Man Up’ attitude of society that conditions them to act in a way that is alien to the way they really are. They are expected to be the breadwinner, be the leader, be the big hairy person who comforts all around, the person they should look up to as a role model and not put a foot wrong. They have to be strong in times of crisis and not have feelings. ‘For God’s sake it is not a man’s place to cry’ and they should bottle up those feelings whilst other around and unburden theirs.

Putting on a dress, makeup, heels and wig allows another person to emerge. We can change our identity into that inner person. A more genteel side can be brought to the front that has been hidden far away from what people expect from them. This is why it’s very difficult for Trannies to tell their partner. It’s not how they are expected to be. But a true feeling person does emerge.

None, and I mean none, of the Trannies I know are bad people to each other or those around them. They are so much more gentle and caring when dressed. OK they can be a bit bitchy and want to talk about themselves all the time, but most are encouraging and try to be helpful particularly to newcomers. They enjoy the moment they are living in and the fun they can have. All of us are a little selfish as we know that very soon this time of escapism will come to an end and we have to make the most of it! When it does end they experience mixed emotions. The fact that they are losing the ‘girl’ and re-entering the big world is a downer but the memories of the fun time will sustain them until the next.

How and when those next times arise are very different. A friend of mine says the dressing urge abates with every new girlfriend who normally departs on discovering his other side as they can’t cope with the two personalities. However, on his own, the girl comes out from those deeper reaches. Another is a high powered executive making multi million dollar deals on a daily basis. The girl side allows him to forget everything and give into a sissy side that hands control to others. One is just at a time in life where the empty nest has resulted in him being able to reassess his life/marriage and the girl releases a side of his personality that he/she has kept hidden for so long. Others are dabbling with Transsexualism and going through a bit of a gender crisis. The dressing is a starting point to looking at their whole identity. Some feel that their real personality in male form is completely suppressed and that, as a Tranny we can be a little naughty and express ourselves far more openly. To some it’s pure escapism from the drudgery of a boring life again allowing them to enhance their lives.

I have said in the title that I thought that dressing was a coping strategy for life. A way to allow one to overcome issues one may have because so many feelings and emotions are hidden and need to get out. But having written this article I realise it’s deeper than that and it’s a mix of reasons. Being a Tranny is an essential part of you that needs to have some form of expression that is away from the norms of our daily existence, that does not conform, that allows us to be expressive and sexy.

Yes sexy, to some a short mini skirt is sexy to others a wedding dress, for another office suit, a long summer dress whatever. It’s allowing you to make a clear statement about you that does not conform to designated standard average as defined by society. Yawn!

So whatever drives you and floats your boat just enjoy the moment because the boy side will be back and let’s be honest you like that side as well. If not you are not in my humble opinion a Trannny! XXX

OK being a Transvestite is not exactly the norm in society but why do so many of us have a guilt complex about being one? I have always maintained that the principle reason for this is that society inculcates and indoctrinates us with certain so called rules or standards from a very early age that we all feel guilty when we break them. Take for example Religion. At school we had to take Religious Education and in some cases were forced to attend Church/Mosque/Shrine to instil certain beliefs. If we come to decide that these beliefs are false we still feel guilty when we say we do not believe in parts of the teaching that appear wrong. So when we dress and get a certain amount of pleasure out of it we are driven by a sense of guilt that what we are doing is wrong.

This is based on a fallacious proposition. Who are we offending? What is so wrong with a man to put on a dress after all women wear trousers? High heels were a huge male fashion item in the seventeenth century why are they so stereotyped now? Why can’t a person alter their shape to a more appealing form? Men as as a generalisation have better legs than women why can’t they show them off in a short skirt and nylons I think This is because in today’s society image conscious the man is meant to look, well ‘masculine’and the woman is meant to be ‘pretty’! There are no written rules but a he’ll of a lot of prejudice. If the man should waver into being pretty then it starts to bugger up all the roles and status in society and well it’s just not manly, and woe betide the man that looks prettier than a woman…bitch …bitch! So the reality is its us the Trannies, or is that Trannys, who have to change our mindset and say ‘Sod It Society’ I am an independent free thinker who does not want to offend but finds certain things others may see as so called offensive a totally baseless proposition and, even as a man, I am going to get on with it! Damn your preconceived perceptions of what a Tranny is and does. Denying this to yourself can be bad for your health with frustration, stress and the constant thinking as to when you can next dress distracting you from so many more important things such as your family’s health and lifestyle. It’s a strong force within but no where near the top of things such as a roof over your head and a meal on the table. But it’s still a strong aesthetic drive.

The thing for us Transvestites is that we do not have a specific term of reference in the same way as a Transsexual has. In most cases the TS has known they wanted to be a girl from an early age. Transsexuals identify with gender, many say Transvestites identify with sexuality. But I think it’s too simplistic. Put tenTrannies in a room and you will get ten different reasons why they dress. Try explaining why you like to dress to someone and it is quite difficult to communicate the fact that it just feels so right to your inner being. I am amazed when Transvestites congregate around the table there is a very clear understanding between them what they are feeling on the in..side and even though many Genetic Girls might be present they have great difficulty comprehending what is going on inside that crazy mixed up mind. They have empathy but not understanding. This is one of the reasons why wives cannot comprehend why their husband wants to dress, it’s those inner feelings which cannot be explained in words alone. I also think there are other reasons for partners rejecting the Tranny such as mix up of role models in the family and social perspective problems but I have talked about these in other posts, so will not dwell.

What I think motivates this need to dress is that there is probably a male and female aspect to our personality and we identify with both parts to a certain degree in our make-up. I think a Transsexual whilst accepting there may be a small male part to her identifies much more clearly with the feminine side and that is her strongest drive. With the Transvestite the masculine aspect is a much stronger persona but the feminine side is something that has to be indulged from time to time to maintain balance of the whole.The regularity of this of course varies from person top person.

I like both sides but my male side is the more dominant driver through my choice not society’s. Tara is about creating an illusion, a fantasy an element of fun escapism.This is not my own hair, face, boobs, shape, in fact its almost an artform (Oh God Grayson Perry comes to mind here!), But it is a definite fantasy and the male side is the more boring reality. I have always said I adore the change of mindset that comes from boy to femme and that has always been the thing that floats my boat allowing true escapism. A good friend of mine has found the feminine side has given her immense calm and focus in her life and spends most of her time enfemme! Even contemplating the chop! However she still has to dress as the male from time-to-time for society as her family (and girlfriends) are not as accepting of the female. It’s such a shame so many people still frown about such a small thing.

I also love the fact that many from my group of Transvestites move down the road from dressing to identifying that they have a more female dominant part to their persona and then start down the Transsexual route. I feel we have helped them discover themselves and sometimes some inner peace. What pisses me off though is how many of them then become like reformed smokers and look with disdain at their old friends who have not ‘become a true woman’ in their minds and subsequently reject the group that allowed them to discover their new route. Ironically they now look at us as social lepers who no longer conform to their new standards. They ironically have moved back to society’s norms. So hypocritical! Bitch Bitch!

Come on Tara stop bitching and get on with life it’s far too short to worry what others are thinking!

(Ironically I found this letter to Society from a woman which had me drawing two different thought processes one was good for you girl the other was…I so want to do so many of those things you want to stop).

Bloody hell I love the fun of being a Transvestite. Give me this over a game of footie or rugby on the telly a night out at the pub or a good dinner party and there is no comparison, well maybe the dinner party! Even this month my girly wardrobe just overtook my male one! What does this mean I do not know. But blokewear is trousers shirt jumper jacket and combinations of the above. On the femme side it’s all of the above plus plus plus and plus. Its so wonderfully all encompassing.

But this reminds me, as its that time of year when we can all go into shops and buy something for the ‘girlfriend’ ‘wife’ or ‘daughter’ for ourselves to beware of overindulging in this wonderful activity. As a ‘Transvestite’ that is exactly what it is. It’s not your life just a wonderful pastime which if left unrestrained can take over your life and affect all you loved ones. purely and simply because you follow your passion in a totally selfish and unfettered manner.

Susie my partner who runs the Chateau Femme dressing service says she is very wary of this. This applies especially when she sees a newbie who has never been able to transform before into the ‘girl’ of her dreams. With the size of wardrobe Susie has a beginner sees the myriad of possibilities that are now at their disposal! The result on departing is that they can tend to go mad in Primark where a vast array of cheap clothing in larger sizes is available (size 8/42 and 9/43 shoes hurrah!). But This could be a problem!

It’s a particular danger for new girls who suddenly have the freedom to dress as they please. And boy can you drain the family budget with your buying habits, if you have a family and you have not declared who you are, there will be some awful questions about your credit card bills at the end of the month.

And it’s not fair. I know it’s a part of you and you have to dress, but dishonesty about both your dressing, and spending is a double whammy on your partner. I did it and I suffered the consequences. I would say about 7 out of 10 of us have either been caught out or decide to tell their partner so it’s very likely this will happen to you. It’s the loss of trust between the two of you that is the worst, part it’s not the actual dressing, even though they may think that it is rather odd!

Dressing gives you a focus, a drive, a meaning to yourself, it does not give that to your partner. It says to her where was I in all this? Why do they never confide in me? Why was I not included. It’s not about how perverted you, or how gay you are and how vulgar this activity is. Your partner is not thinking like that. They are wondering where they got things so wrong, where they now fit in your lives and what the neighbours/friends will think if you are discovered.

But to you it says ‘wow’ the new opportunities are myriad. And it can clean out your bank account without you even thinking, it’s not yours it’s the family money and even if you are the major wage earner it’s not yours alone. When I was married I had little storage space so did not spend that much since my separation I have done a lot of spending and it could have gotten out of control. I mean a massive wardrobe and only dressing once a week…gotta get a grip on reality!

So it’s Christmas time and it’s about thinking of others. It’s about taking stock and working out where you are and where you are going. There is enough information in my previous posts to say stop being too self-indulgent and think about how dressing might effect those around you. How spending too much time, money or simply the whole thought process can dominate your life. It’s not fair and to be honest not real either! You need balance as a TV you need to set yourself clear goals at this time of year and come to terms with your dual identity. I am not saying tell your partner now I am saying get a grip and stop it dominating your life. It’s a great rush especially if you are new to dressing but it’s not a substitute for a good fun relationship.

I have so many lonely TV’s who love the dressing side but desperately want a genuine girl (gg) who accepts that they like to dress. They have given up a good relationship for the fact that this drive to dress is so important to them that everything else is subsumed. The net result is that when their life is not dressed it feels empty. So they pursue dressing with a vigour that unfortunately never really replaces a good relationship. They will go down the routes of bisexual affairs, they wil try mistresses, they will think about gender reassignment and they will try being monogamous! But the need to be with a real girl who understands them will pervade and in the end it can leave you rather empty.

So my message at Christmas this year is think about what this means to you in your life. How it will affect your relationships and how you want things to progress. It’s that time of year when we all review our lives we make resolutions but we also have to think of those around us. This dressing thing is a very very strong driver but it is also a life destroyer if we allow it to progress unchained. Be very careful what you wish for and its consequences

One of my biggest worries about many of the Trannies I meet is that the drive to dress is such a dominant factor in their lives that it becomes an all too consuming passion. It almost like a drug. We start down a fun narrow path and then suddenly we realise we are hooked. We start to think, when are we next going out, when can we next go shopping, what about that dress on eBay, what will I wear, what about that You Tube video on make-up, what is happening on social media, who am I going to meet etc.

As I have always said I am sure our mindset changes when we dress. A new personality emerges and we love that person and so look forward to being the girl as soon as time allows, and we have to dress for our own sanity. It can become such a driving, motivating force in our lives that it can consume all objectivity. We start to look at women not as people we are attracted to but as clothes horses. How are they wearing their dresses how are they carrying themselves how do they talk to people. We enjoy enrolling in the new personality of ‘the girl’ which gives us great escapism. We enjoy the ‘naughtiness’ the ‘sexiness’ and the ‘change’. This approach can bugger up any chances of having a meaningful relationship with a woman..if you want one like I do!

Our wardrobes become full of looks we would love to try but, because we don’t get out enough we tend to revert to our ‘standard” or default mode when we do. For example I have several pairs of very tight trousers and love the ‘jegging’ look but so rarely try it out because my best feature is my legs but they look sooo good in a short skirt or dress and I do love the sensation of stockings or tights. Result too many unused clothes dominating my life. Too much clutter in your life. Too much money spent on the pursuit of the unachievable.

The question is when does a fun pastime becoming an obsessional and all pervasive lifestyle? My answer is that when the ‘girl’ starts to rule your decisions on your life then its time to take a hard look at what this means to you. If your nights out, your nights in, your holidays, your time on social media and your shopping are all dominated by ‘the girl’ then s doing you have to take a major step back from it and get some balance. Life is all about positive choices and behaviour not just giving into the slightest whim You have to make a pact with yourself, and, if you are lucky enough to have one your partner, what part of the TV element is with you.

I and my partner agreed that in order to stop this becoming too pervasive in our life we have to have some parameters. In our case this not because Tara was becoming obsessional for me but purely because we were trying to do too much in all aspects of our lives and were so tired and exhausted that our time together was suffering. Others will suffer the same for different reasons.

So we set some basic boundaries I would dress once a week either with her or on my own and I would go out once a month again with her or on my own. The rest would be much more flexible but we agreed that it would be planned together not just Tara getting her own way…watch this space to see how we cope.

There is also an issue of trust here particularly if you are going out on your own. That is the basis of any relationship and something I broke in the past and from that point there was little hope of reconciliation. If you have shared with your partner that your femme side exists then you have to stop being too bloody selfish. Just because its out does not mean you are now given Carte Blanche to let the girl run amok with whoever whatever and whenever she wants. This is particularly important when embracing your femme personality. Too many times do I see men who by putting on the ‘girl’ suddenly can create a new identity that they can hide behind. Suddenly because it’s not really them they can be much more experimental, they can try fantasies they would never indulge as the boy. They think that by putting a wig on they are a different person and when they take it off they can be excused as they are no longer ‘the girl’. It is amazing how we can put things into exclusive boxes. Wrong, if you think like this you are deluding yourself.

This is clearly your decision. Mine is simple If I go out and do something that I would never do in my male life then I am breaking a bond between myself and my partner. In the past I thought I could do this as I said it was not me just ‘the girl’ having fun and I would be back in the morning…doh!

The question though is how far can this be pushed as Tara is a much more interesting and fun loving person than the male (yawn). She feels sexier she feels more alive more willing to take on new challenges and has a much more devil may care attitude. She loves the fact that the dynamics of the environment she is ‘operating; have changed. No longer as the male is she expected to decide what to do, how to get there and have to make the first approaches in conversation. She loves to be noticed for what she is wearing and now gives compliments freely to others, particularly to women because she knows how long it took them to get ready. Her conversation is broader and can cover subjects the man could not possibly cover in his rather limited highly constrained testosterone world. Because she is neither man nor woman she can set her own agenda. Through this she can find a different type of satisfaction than that as just the ‘man’ .

Its that old Ying and Yang concept . The old ‘to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’ or ‘we need the opposite to be a complete the self’. In my case I see its Karma or balance. Too long straight-jacketed into the macho male side when there is a feminine part that needs to get out. The one thing however is that it does not create that bollocks of calm inner peace. Nope its a constant fight between what society in general expects us to be and the raving libidinist within. If you think I am going to spend all that time getting ready to sit like a shrinking violet in the corner forget it! There is a different animal emerging there!

One aspect of this however is nothing compares to the adrenalin rush of your first time out. Your senses on red alert everything being micro analysed and its a very big rush. If it was just about dressing then we would be happy to stay at home. Its like athletes who become hooked to the adrenalin hit they get from extreme exercise. Even to this day the rush you get from walking down the street in high heels knowing you are being clocked all the way is a weird hair shirt to wear. We were out with a good TV friend the other night and she told us how she adored her first time out and just adored being noticed so much so she started to be become more and more experimental in where she went eventually going into the roughest of working mens clubs to get a drink just for effect! Ironically it was in these establishments she got more respect and less abuse than in many of the Gay and Trans venues she normally frequented. She put it down the fact that she did not affront the men in those clubs as much as she queered the pitch for what the gay and TS people did.

My partner Susie who runs her Chateau Femme dressing service finds so many frustrated girls arriving for an appointment in their fifties to dress in front of someone for the first time. There are a number of reasons why they come to it so late. Life circumstances have changed, the acceptance it is a part of them, the drop in testosterone levels now saying they wnat to open up their female side all contrubute to this decision to come to a dressing service. I would say in 90% ofcases they do find real contentment by embracing their femme side but also regret they did not do it earlier. Then of course many want to go out and the whole dynamics of their life changes and the ‘drug’ sets in and like a drug can lead to further experimenting as you look for a new high. Suddenly things become all pervasive and they have found a new meaning. In quite a large number of cases this leads to Transsexualism and they realise they are a girl trapped in a man’s body. For many its a rite of passage to try new experiences. But can some people become addicted this? I maintain the answer is yes, particularly if they have addictive personalities. But to the vast malority of us it is about achieving a balance and minor experiments do not lead to a long term addiction just make sure you get the balance in your whole life not just the girl.

OK I know that Society’s understanding, interest and acceptance of Transvestism is growing. I love the fact that a TS is now known as a ‘Trans’ person we can reclaim the ‘Tranny’ nomenclature for the TV world. The world can discriminate more easily between TS and TV as the media puts this agenda to the fore. But understanding and acceptance does not necessarily bring about a relationship that many heterosexual transvestites desire. They need first to be understood and for many women that is a quantum leap too far.

The problem with being a Transvestite is that it brings a third person/persona into your relationships. Most women find this incredibly hard to deal with at anytime. Its far too confusing when the hairy man they go out with/live with suddenly wants to adopt a femme side at least for some of the time. This is a particular problem if you have hidden this for a long time from them. Even if they have had their suspicions that something is going on telling them you are a transvestite is going to be very, very hard to adjust to. I have had so many stories where the girlfriend/wife says I want my boyfriend back. The thing is it is not your mental state that has changed but it is hers. How can a red-blooded heterosexual male suddenly enjoy high heels and short skirts! The first question you are asked is ‘are you gay’ you say no and then its a bloody minefield on which you start playing hopscotch. If you do ever find the answer to how to deal with this in some sane manner. You know where I am!

We would all agree however, from bitter experience and hindsight, that it is important to broach the subject of your other self at a fairly early stage in the relationship. Most girls are interested even intrigued by it in the initially but after the meeting of her and your femme self the game will have changed dramatically! The physical manifestation of your other side cannot be shown in pictures and writings. Once Pandora’s box has been opened it cannot be put back the way it was.

I am afraid though that the number of women (GG’s) that will reject you, for the time being, are far, far greater than those that will accept you. Sorry for that hard fact. Yes you may have been out dressed on many occasions and been amazed by how many women wanted to chat to you, ask you interesting questions and of course compliment you. But when it comes down to having a boyfriend who dresses then the barriers really come up as principally we cannot explain what inner ‘weird’ motivation makes us want to dress. Your girlfriend can hopefully read some of my previous posts and at least get a flavour that basically its a very sexy recreational pursuit and that the boy is just put on hold for a few hours. If she can embrace it then it will lead to numerous new horizons for the threesome!

Susie my better half who runs the dressing service Château Femme had a lady over from the States who is looking into Transvestism (as opposed to TS) for a series of US TV programmes. She wanted to show TV’s before and after transformation. This proved hard but we found a couple of people who were willing to show themselves on camera. The social stigma of Transvestism however was too much of a barrier for most. Even in my case the stigma is irrelevant but I do not want to link the male and femme sides I like them to be separated. Where however, we drew a complete blank was when she asked to meet and film the partners of Transvestites. We could not think of a single GG partner far less find one to go on camera. It was a very depressing thought that for all the thousands she has dressed over the years few partners will admit their boyfriend/husband is a TV!

So of course it sets you thinking as to why this is. We put it down to four probable reasons, I am sure there are more but here are my thoughts

The first and obvious reason is that it is just so difficult for the woman to comprehend what the hell is going on. So you like to play rugby but you also like to wear false breasts? You have a 42 inch chest how do you expect to pass against a size zero model? Why do you want to wear clothes a women of your age would never be seen dead in? The problem with us is that the feelings that dressing engenders are so internalized that it is impossible to really explain what is going on. It would take a women with the patience of Job to ask you all the right questions to set both your and her mind in order. Add to that the personality changes that we gain from ‘hiding’ behind the make-up and you have a cocktail that is very difficult to swallow.

Secondly there is the closed-minded lady who actually finds it repugnant that a member of the opposite sex dresses in ‘her’ clothes. This argument I always find the hardest because in theory she can wear anything a man does but we cannot do the reverse. You stand no chance with this kind of dogmatic individual who is completely closed to any form of dressing

The next trait is probably the most common in that she does not want to be linked by her peers to living with a Transvestite as it will end up in ridicule and mockery. Although highly common I think that many women over think this element as the reality is she will not become a social outcast because you, hopefully, are not throwing it in your neighbours faces every 5 minutes. Let the ‘girl’ have her fun. Many couples find the traditional midpoint where she accepts it is a part of you and she loves you but wants nothing to do with ‘The Girl’. This is I think is where bulk of TV and GG relationships tend to end up, unfortunately, though it does give you an element of freedom. But please do remember there has to be give and take and ‘The Girl’ can be a very selfish bitch when the mood takes her!

The fourth reason was mentioned to me at one of our outings just recently in that a women in the relationship likes the role where she is the pretty one and attracts all the nice comments about looks, dress and style. She sees her feminine role as an important discriminator between the two of you. Now suddenly this interloper with better legs than her is trespassing on her ground. This has a 50/50 chance if you can get over the fact that this only happens from time to time and you can share clothes make-up etc.The biggest challenge to you is getting over the earlier hurdles so that your femme self is less of a ‘fright’ when she appears and becomes much more an accepted norm. In this way your girlfriend will be able to adjust to the new you as she is regularly exposed to that dreadful long blonde wig no right-minded woman would be seen dead in!

Even when you have decided to give it a try to see if you can work things out there is a long and hard path to follow, especially with that detour for those lovely red heels! And believe me even when you have a relationship where you are accepted things do not go as smoothly as you might think because your girlfriend has to constantly battle between the conflicting aspects of the two of you. Just read some of my historic posts on this subject!

However the women who do go along with it tend to have a strong confident personality and a clear understanding of themselves and their sexuality. They do not feel threatened by the Tranny there are lots out there worth searching for. They will help you mould yourself into a wonderful mad rounded character (not using shapewear) that you always wanted to be. But remember what they are having to come to terms with as well XXX